Maserati - Infineon qualifying

Car :                             Maserati MC12, n. 35, chassis n. 03/15440 

Drivers:                         Andrea Bertolini, Modena, Italy; Fabrizio
de Simone, Rome, Italy

Position:                       fourth, GT1 (1:29.781)

Weather:                       99 F, clear, sunny 

Circuit length:                2.53 miles

 

Maserati will start the American Le Mans Series race at Infineon Raceway
from fourth on the GT1 grid. Andrea Bertolini qualified the No. 35 Maserati
MC12 in one minute 29.781 seconds on the 2.53-mile road course, encountering
traffic on both his fast laps. The No. 20 Dyson Racing Lola, driven by Andy
Wallace, took the overall pole position.

 

"We had a good improvement in the balance of the car for qualifying, but it
was quite difficult. I had a lot of traffic in the two fastest laps, but in
any case, it's only two- or three-tenths [of a second difference], not one
second," Bertolini said. "We'll continue to work on the development of the
car. Special thanks to Pirelli for their support – they have a new compound
for this race – and the progress with the IMSA rules is good."

 

Sonoma fan

 

Fabrizio de Simone is enjoying his first visit to Sonoma, both on- and
off-track. He is fascinated by the wine industry and plans to attend a
sommelier school during the off-season.

 

"I'm really happy to be here in one of the world's best spots for wineries,
in Sonoma and Napa Valley," he said. "Infineon Raceway is very nice to
drive, very technical, and all the area is fantastic. I would like to stay
here someday and go around to find some good wine-tasting. I'll plan that
maybe in the future."

 

tire talk

 

Pirelli technicians are ready for a hot track on Sunday. The weather
forecast indicates an air temperature of 95 F, which means the track
temperature will be about 116 F. But Peter Tyson, Pirelli Tire North
America's vice-president of marketing and motorsports, said the company will
still be able to maximize results because of the smooth Infineon track
surface.

 

"The temperature is expected to be quite hot, but this is counter-balanced
by the fact that the track is quite smooth, so we expect to use our softer
compounds," he said. "Testing on Friday was very positive and we made a
check on Saturday for compound longevity, so we are not expecting any
problems."

 

 

Maserati competes with an MC12 in compliance with the rules of IMSA and
matches FIA GT1 specifications. The team will not score points for the ALMS
championship. The drivers are Italians Andrea Bertolini, Ferrari-Maserati
official test driver, and Fabrizio de Simone.

 

 The participation of Maserati in the ALMS has been made possible thanks to
the fundamental co-operation of important partners, including Pirelli and
team Risi Competizione, that support Maserati logistically. The MC12 is
using Pirelli Racing P Zero tires, developed in 2004 and currently used on
an exclusive basis in the FIA GT Championship. The successful cooperation
between Maserati and Pirelli continues in the American Le Mans Series.

 

Images are available at www.media.maserati.com and HYPERLINK
"BLOCKED::http://www.maseraticorse.com"www.maseraticorse.com.